Just last week I was sitting with my cap, gown (and hood!) at the University of Georgia for my graduation ceremony honoring my Master’s Degree in Educational Administration and Policy (the best part of it all was sitting next to my fiancé who was also graduating). For some time now, I had imagined the day and how great it would feel to finally be done. My family would be there, I’d take pictures with my fiancé in our regalia, and we’d all go out and celebrate the fact that we were that much more educated.
“Ay mi hijito, el educado,” I could imagine my abuelita saying proudly. El educado…was that what someone would think or say about me? I started to think about what that meant. Exactly when did I become more educated? Was it when I walked across the stage or wrote that final assignment? Did it start well before all that?
The reality is that finishing my Master’s Program hasn’t made me feel any different about myself at all. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I’m very proud to have accomplished this goal. I’m happy that, when I’m ready, I can now work as a school (assistant) principal. But if I am indeed more educated, it isn’t because of that piece of paper.
I think this is a common misconception, not just in the Latino community, but in our society in general. For multiple reasons, we equate a college degree with success. We seem to believe that this is the only way that one can get “educated” and that anything less is not as honorable.
How many of us, “college educated” or otherwise, are uneducated about the things that truly matter in the world around us? How many of us watch more hours of brainless television than we do reading, learning, and becoming truly educated? If I’ve learned anything in my 20+ years of schooling, it’s that a huge chunk (or the majority?) of the real education happens outside those classroom walls. But it only happens when we make that conscious decision that we want to better ourselves and the world around us.
I worry that some of my students will read this and think, “So we shouldn’t go to college, OK!” But of course that’s not the point. A college degree is something to be very proud of; it can open so many doors. That alone gives it plenty of value. As for Latinos, I’m sure almost everyone would agree that we need [a lot] more of us graduating from colleges and universities.
So yeah, I hesitate now to call myself ‘educated.’ I’d feel like that would be disrespecting my father, who’s one of the smartest people I know, yet doesn’t have as much formal education as I do. I’d be disrespecting my mother, who had to wait until her late 40’s to get her Bachelor’s degree. And I’d be disrespecting all those before me, who, for one reason or another didn’t get the same opportunities I did.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author and should not be understood to be shared by Being Latino, Inc.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
About Cristopher Rubio
I agree with some but not all of this article. I once asked my uncle who studied in Mexico how his education changed him. He simply responded with, “It changed the way I think.” Having graduated from college myself, I completely agree. My education has taught me to think critically. I question everything and take nothing at face value. Everything is a problem to be solved.
I also belong to the school if hard knocks .I put myself through school and both of my parents he had little more than a grammar school education. I had much catching up to do and learned some valuable lessons along the way, but not equivalence
I completely agree with the notion that learning occurs outside the classroom more often than we’d like to admit. However, I don’t think that being called educado is at all a sign of disrespect to those without the same opportunity. Unfortunately, the current way to certify whether or not a person is knowledgeable enough for a specific job is through a diploma/certificate. As I’m sure you’re aware, completing this takes dedication, focus, and work, a degree simply shows that you have those abilities.
I like the fact that you distinguished between being smart and being educated. Our degrees and accomplishments should never serve as a velvet rope of elitism, but, they should be advertisements of promise to those who cannot envision an alternate beyond what social inequalities have limited their lives to. I would argue that your status as an educado is a good selling point in your continuing mission to help more Latinos succeed academically. Of course, humility should remain part of the equation and letting your actions speak for themselves is perhaps the best route. I congratulate you and wish you well in your endeavors.
I agree with the underlying message of your article. I’m a product of immigrant parents with varying degrees of education. My mother grew up in rural Mexico. She was the oldest daughter in her family and at a very young age had to end her studies and stay home to help my grandmother take care of their household. My father on the other hand studied at la UDG and received his doctorate in veterinary medicine. Neither of these paths prepared my parents for the lack of opportunity available to them in Mexico. Eventually they, like many others, found it necessary to look for opportunities in the US. My father moved to the US and despite his doctorate degree, he worked as a busboy at a Mexican restaurant. Both of my parents worked very hard and are now prominent entrepreneurs in our community. Ive always seen their success as a lesson that no matter your level of education, hard work pays off. A degree is not a pre-requisite for success. Education means nothing without drive and initiative to implement the lessons you’ve learned and the ability to innovate your field.
@ William G… may I say, that is one of the most eloquent and well-thought-out responses I have come across in a comment thread. As you have already expressed the sentiment so well, I will just say that I agree with you 100 %.
Nice article, Cristopher.
@Nancy. lol I’ll attempt to keep it that way by saying thanks.
You’re welcome!
Thank you all for your comments ^_^!!! William your comment was spot on! As an educator, we are all about pushing ‘College Bound’ in our classrooms. While I agree with the point of this strategy (as I said in the article we need more Latina/os in post-secondary education), what happens to all the students that don’t make it to college (and there are many)? Are they already failures? This is my struggle, as we often equate a college degree with success, but that’s not the only route to success.
I enjoyed the article and comments. Thanks for the good read.
Nice article Cris! Thanks for your wisdom and critical reflection. Hugs, m
I believe that the primary purpose of education for a person should be to gain knowledge. If you go to college because you think that once you graduate, you will get a better job is a wrong reason to get your college education.Education does not make you a better person, but it makes you a well-rounded and more knowledgeable person who can better understand diverse points of views. I came to this country 20 years ago from Eastern Europe, and I am very proud to be part of America because this is the only country in the world where you can meet a person from every part of the world, learn new and wonderful things from all those world citizens, and your education provides you with a better conceptual and intellectual framework to learn all the aforementioned new things from other cultures and people.